Metro Life - Conversations with loved ones!

When I say conversations, I am just taking you through the real conversations that I have almost every day with my loved ones who stay in Mumbai itself.

First and foremost … my mother. She still thinks her married daughter who is 40 years old is a small child and needs to be told everything. She has to give instructions as to what is good and what is bad for me. And also she has to provide me all the unnecessary information about the whole world, I may not even know. One call everyday at 7.45pm. That’s the time I leave office.

Me: Hello aai

Mom: Hello dada (she calls me dada since my childhood. If ever anyone hears this..shee its embarrassing for me)

Mom: What is new?

Me: Nothing much

Mom: Tell me something dada

Me: hehe Nothing happened mumma!!

Mom: When are you coming home next?

Me: Dunno. Can’t say right now.

Mom: Did it rain there?

Me: No

Mom: Did you see NDTV today?

Me: Mmmmm

Mom: Sheesh

Me: Hehe I don’t have time to see NDTV mom.

Mom: Oh! do you atleast know who Anna Hazare is?

Me: Mmmmm Lok pal blah blah.

Mom: My god. It is a shame if they ask you to say something about and if you have nothing to say. You are a lawyer dada!!

Me: Mmmm

Mom: What did you eat today? And did you eat in time? You have a habit of eating late. Work, work and work. So many times I have told you..everything has a time and food also has to be eaten in time.

Me: mmmm

Mom: Here Sunny aunty’s son had a baby

Me: mmmm

Mom: I will go out to get something for the baby tomorrow, so I can visit them over the weekend.

Me: Mmmm

Mom: The uncle in our colony, who works in MRF, in our colony died

Me: Mmmmm

Mom: Geroge uncles son got engaged.

Me: Mmmmm

Mom: Shanta is getting an operation done

Me: Mmmm

Mom: It is not anything very serious.

Me: Mmmm

Mom: Hmmm how is work going?

Me: Mmmm

Mom: Grrrrr!! Get lost! You say Mmmm Mmmm for everything.. Bye..)

Me: Hehe :D

Phone cut. Bang!!

Call summary: 8 minutes 43seconds

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Two weeks later, I call my mother in the middle of the day when she is working.

Me: Hello aai. I have to do some serious marketing. Can you ask our colony uncle who is in MRF if I can call him and meet him?

Mom: GODDDD!!! HE DIED TWO WEEKS AGO. I TOLD YOU

Me: Oh? When??

Mom: @$%!$

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Then there is dad. This is what happens when he calls.

Me: Baba!!

Dad: Hmm!! Tai (he calls me tai) There is nothing new right?

Me: No baba

Dad: Ok

Phone cut.

Call summary – 4 seconds.

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My Brother - Vicky

Whenever he calls …he is a competition to dad.

Vicky: Hey Shilpa tai!!

Me: Bol

Vicky: You okay

Me: Ya

Vicky: Chal bye!

Call summary – 3 seconds

Each time my brother calls, I will be left wondering if my dad or my brother set a new world record for the worlds shortest phone conversation ever.

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My Sister – Meghna

Megs: Shilpaaaaa taiiiiii!!!

Me: Ya Megs!

Megs: So many days..why didn’t you call me?

Me: Aare I spoke to you three days ago and I was busy..

Megs: So?? You have time for everything else but to speak to me. I am missing you so much. So many things to tell you. My kids are going to forget you very soon!!!

Me: Don’t taunt ok!

Megs: Of course I will. When are we meeting? Say fast. I have to enter a meeting.

Me: Ha baba! Finish your meeting, I will tell you and by the way..what do you want to tell me? I hate secrets…give me a hint or I will be tensed.

Megs: Good be tensed. So atleast then we will meet soon :P And ya, I bought a beautiful salwar kameez material for you from Ahmedabad.

Me: Wow!! Megs..love you. And oh shit! How was your tournament? (She plays badminton for Customs)

Megs: You forgotten even to ask me. I won the Nationals J

Me: Wow!!! That’s like my sis.. You will get a gift from me for this. Did you tell Vicky?

Megs: Ya he knows..he said Sahi ..Congrats and kept the phone J as usual. Chaal got to go. Speak later. Byes..love u J

Me: Bye. Love u too.

Call summary – 3 minutes

Each time my sister calls, I want our childhood days back..Meghna, Vicky and I..we had so much time for each other and what fun we used to have L

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Now the best of all…my husband Rajeev

Rajeev: Hi Shilpu

Me: Hi. How come you called?

Rajeev: Just like that. Did you have lunch?

Me: Not yet..some work and you?

Rajeev: Just had. By the way, don’t make this vegetable again..I didn’t like it

Me: Ok I won’t. Hey, did you put the cheques for mobile and electricity bills today? It was the last day.

Rajeev: Ha baba! Before I reached office I did that. I actually called up to say that we have to for dinner at Ranade kaka’s place today

Me: Today?? At Vile Parle…we are working tomorrow.

Rajeev: I know but I committed him a week ago. But we didn’t get time to talk to each other the whole week due to our schedules…so we go tonight

Me: Do I have an option? Okay.

Rajeev: And ya, before you say..I didn’t tell you..I am going out with my friends this Saturday, so you can make your plans.

Me: Okay

Rajeev: Chaal, have loads of work. Bye for now. See you at night

Me: Bye!!

Call summary – 2 minutes

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Now this is what I call Life in a Metro!! It was so nice when we were kids..we had so much time for the family. We would have dinner together, play carom, Pictionary, scrabble, table tennis..full family masti. Today, even though we are all in Mumbai..we don’t have time to even talk to each other. Distances in Mumbai and horrible traffic…makes one feel you are staying so far away from each other.

Forget distances…Husband and wife…. don’t have time to even converse with each other…other than perhaps..the most important topics in our metro lives..like finances, maids and bills!!!

It reminds me of William Henry’s Poem “Lesiure”:

“What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare”

This poem though is so true even in today’s life. Our life has become so mechanical with burdening ourselves with responsibilities. We don’t even have some time to sit back and enjoy!! And certainly... very soon...I am going to change this!!!